Tri-Valley Cares

Obama Keeps Head of Nuclear Weapons Program

TVC Administrator — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:47:37 -0400

Thursday, September 3, 2009
By: Jeffrey Mervis
Published In: Science
http://blogs.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2009/09/obama-keeps-hea.html

The Obama Administration announced today that it will retain Thomas D'Agostino as head of the U.S. nuclear weapons complex. The decision was met with dismay by many in the arms control and non-proliferation community, who fear that it will be harder to implement the soaring vision for a nuclear-free future that President Obama has articulated while retaining key figures from a Bush Administration that supported expansion of the country's nuclear arsenal.

As administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration and undersecretary for nuclear security at the Department of Energy, D'Agostino oversees the nation's three weapons labs"Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos, and Sandia. The former Navy submarine officer and weapons manager assumed the job in August 2007, and many observers thought that the Obama Administration would bring in a fresh face once a mandated review of the country's nuclear policies was completed in December. However, sources tell ScienceInsider that several prominent scientists and nuclear policy heavyweights rejected the Administration's overtures, and that other candidates were thought to carry too much political baggage to be confirmed by the Senate.

That left D'Agostino. "He's part of a triumvirate of Bush appointees who are committed to making further modifications in the U.S. nuclear weapons program," says Marylia Kelley of Tri Valley CAREs, an anti-nuclear group based in Livermore, California, noting that Obama also has retained Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the head of the U.S. Strategic Command, General Kevin Chilton. "While I applaud the president's April 5th speech in Prague, my concern is with how we take the first steps toward that goal. And I don't think this decision bodes well for moving in the right direction."

Although D'Agostino doesn't need to go through the confirmation process again, his office is certain to be a lightning rod in the political debates as the Administration tries to negotiate arms control and non-proliferation treaties while preserving the viability of the country's current stockpile. He's also responsible for defining the role of the weapons labs on issues ranging from renewable energy to national security.

Senator Jeff Bingaman (D"NM), who chairs the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and hails from a state where both Los Alamos and Sandia are located, offered a lukewarm endorsement of the re-appointment by expressing his confidence that D'Agostino "understands our laboratories’ capabilities very well [and] will support strengthening their science resources, ensuring they play a pivotal role for the nation."

Tri-Valley CAREs

More Than 300 Groups Ask Senate for Stronger Climate Bill

TVC Administrator — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:01:07 -0400

Broad Alliance Expresses Concern With House Legislation and Demands Improvements

WASHINGTON -- A broad coalition of more than 300 faith, human-rights, social justice, and environmental groups sent a letter to U.S. senators today calling for energy and climate legislation that is much stronger than the Waxman-Markey bill that passed the House of Representatives June 26. That bill contained massive giveaways to polluting special interests and would fail to ensure a rapid transition to clean energy.

The groups plan to hand deliver the letter to senators' state offices next week as part of a larger, grassroots mobilization demonstrating far-reaching support for bold leadership in the fight to solve the climate crisis.

In the letter, the groups express "profound concern" about the House bill and ask senators to usher in "the transformational change and greenhouse emissions reductions required to avert catastrophic climate impacts." The letter calls for legislation that:

Reduces atmospheric CO2 concentrations to a safe level of below 350 parts per million;
Maintains existing Clean Air Act protections against global warming pollution;
Minimizes the use of offsets and other loopholes;
Protects vulnerable populations and communities;
Promotes abundant clean energy;
Eliminates polluter giveaways; and
Adheres to preexisting U.S. commitments to the rest of the world.

Comments from a few groups that signed the letter follow:

"We haven't yet seen the bold leadership from Congress that's required to solve the climate crisis," said Church World Service Director of Education and Advocacy Rajyashri Waghray. "We're sending this letter to demonstrate broad grassroots support for such leadership."

"We have to have a stronger climate bill than the watered-down version that passed the House," said San Bernardino Valley Audubon Society Conservation Chair Drew Feldmann.

"We're organizing on the ground, in communities around/throughout the country, to mobilize the everyday people who will feel climate impacts, and to defeat the entrenched, polluting special interests in Washington and pass a truly strong bill in the Senate," said Appalachian Voices Legislative Associate J.W. Randolph.

"The everyday people of America have been left out of the climate debate. We are building a grassroots movement that reflects the diversity of America, to mobilize everyday people who are experiencing the affects of climate change. We aim to defeat entrenched fossil fuel polluting special interests in Washington and pass a truly strong climate bill," said Tom Goldtooth of the Indigenous Environmental Network.

"There's an impressive breadth of groups on this letter, and it demonstrates that the status quo isn't acceptable. Congress must pass a bill that actually gives us a fighting chance of avoiding runaway global warming. There's no other option," said Tyson Slocum, who directs Public Citizen's energy program.

Other organizations signing the letter include the Center for Biological Diversity, Center on Race Poverty and the Environment, Central California Environmental Justice Network, Corporate Ethics International, CREDO, Communities for a Better Environment, Franciscan Sisters of Mary, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Friends of the Earth, Global Exchange, Greenpeace, International Rivers, Network for Environmental & Economic Responsibility United Church of Christ, Rainforest Action Network, Tri-Valley CAREs (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment, the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, and many others.

Tri-Valley CAREs

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Arrests, speeches mark anniverary of the bombing of Hiroshima

TVC Administrator — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:06:29 -0400

Thursday, August 6, 2009
By: Robert Jordan
Published In: Contra Costa Times
http://www.contracostatimes.com/environment/ci_13009155

LIVERMORE " About 75 protesters gathered at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory early Thursday to commemorate the Aug. 6, 1945 bombing of Hiroshima as well as to protest the development and use of nuclear weapons.

The protest was peaceful but 22 people were arrested by Lawrence Livermore Lab security for blocking the lab's entrance said Bob Hirschfeld, a lab spokesman. Those arrested were handcuffed, cited and released.

The event was sponsored by several groups, including Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment, Western States Legal Foundation and Peace Action West.

"I think it's important to commemorate (the bombing) to make the horror of using even a single weapon visible," said Marylia Kelley, director of Tri-Valley CAREs. "I think the U.S. and the world people forget the images of devastation at Hiroshima and Nagasaki (bombed Aug. 9, 1945) that it creates a situation where dropping of bomb is likely to happen again."

The nonviolent protest began at 7:30 a.m. Protesters gathered at the intersection of Vasco and Patterson roads and marched to the west gate of the lab. The group also heard from two speakers, including Kelley and Andrew Lichertman, an attorney with the Western States Legal Foundation.

Tri-Valley CAREs

Activists will gather at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory on 64th anniversary of Hiroshima bombing

TVC Administrator — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:47:27 -0400

Tuesday, August 4, 2009
By: Jeanine Benca
Published In: Valley Times
http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/localnews/ci_12991533

LIVERMORE" Protesters will make their annual plea for peace and nuclear disarmament on Thursday morning at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory " a longtime event held on the anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

This Aug. 6, the 64th anniversary of the bombing, organizers are partnering with Mayors for Peace, a group ofm ore than 3,000 mayors in 134 countries to "call for the global elimination of nuclear weapons by 2020," according to a news release from Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment.

Environmental and social activists will gather at 7:30 a.m. at Vasco and Patterson Pass roads outside the lab "which many consider the brain of the nuclear weapons complex in the United States.

"We've been working since the 80s on anti-nuclear work and one of the big focuses has been the Livermore Lab," said Phyllis Olin, executive director of Western States Legal Foundation. The organization is one of several sponsoring the event, along with the local activist group Tri-Valley CAREs, Peace Action West and others.

"While we admire a lot of the things the Obama administration is doing, he needs a lot more information on this," Olin said.

Among the demands protesters plan to make are an immediate halt to U.S. nuclear weapons research, the phasing out of fossil fuels and nuclear power by 2050 and a declaraton by the nation's leaders to eliminate nuclear weapons by 2020 at the upcoming 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference.

The commemoration will begin with music, followed by remarks from organizers. At 8:45 a.m, participants will march to the lab's West Gate to air their views.

In some years, the protest has drawn hundreds and led to numerous arrests.

Tri-Valley CAREs

Buddhist peace tour arrives in Livermore

TVC Administrator — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:22:34 -0400

Tuesday, July 21, 2009
By: Jeanine Benca
Published In: Valley Times
http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/localnews/ci_12885330

LIVERMORE " At a time when the world's eyes are turned toward the unfolding arms race between the U.S. and North Korea, a group of Japanese Buddhist monks is travelling cross-country with a message of disarmament.

"Trinity to Trident," an interfaith peace tour led by the Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist monks, began July 6 near Los Alamos Laboratory in New Mexico. The group arrived in Livermore on Tuesday, where they were greeted by the members of the anti-nuclear community organization Tri-Valley CAREs, and walked to Lawrence Livermore Laboratory.

The goal of the tour, which also includes members of the Native American community and other faith traditions, is to promote non-violence and call attention to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference to be held in 2010, organizers say.

"The message is very simple . . . We should not be hypocritical," Senji Kanaeda, one of the tour leaders, said Tuesday of the nation's nuclear program.

Kanaeda, a Japanese Buddhist monk who moved to the United States about five years ago, and who ilves in Seattle, says he believes a greater emphasis on nonproliferation is needed to achieve world peace.

He carries with him pictures of disfigurements and radiation-linked diseases caused by the World War II atomic bomb drops on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to remind people of his mission.

The group's 15 or so members drove to the Bay Area from New Mexico last week. Since Sunday, they Advertisement have walked from Berkeley to Oakland to Alameda.

As a nuclear weapons design site, the Livermore Lab is a "symbolically important place" along the tour, said Marylia Kelley, executive director of Tri-Valley CAREs. The 26-year-old activist group works to promote non-proliferation.

On Tuesday, members organized a welcoming ceremony for the peace tour at the lab.

The peace tour group will drive north later this week, then walk through parts of Washington state. It will end at the Trident nuclear submarine base in Bangor, Wash. on Aug. 10.

For more information, visit www.trivalleycares.org

Tri-Valley CAREs

NIF Touted as Tool to Deal with Variety of Issues

TVC Administrator — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:00:29 -0400

Thursday, June 4, 2009
By: Independent News
Published In: The Independent
http://www.independentnews.com/fullstory.php?newsid=404

Dedication ceremonies were held last Friday for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility (NIF), fulfilling a dream that began 50 years ago According to various speakers, data that will come out of the facility will contribute to national security, energy security, the economic health of the nation and California, and provide a stimulation for intellectual innovation.

NIF’s 192 giant lasers are housed in a ten-story building the size of three football fields. NIF will be able to create conditions and allow for a wide range of experiments never before possible on earth.

In the realm of national security, NIF will serve as a key component of the National Nuclear Security Administration's Stockpile Stewardship Program to ensure the safety and reliability of the nation's nuclear deterrent without the need for nuclear testing. NIF also offers the possibility of groundbreaking scientific discoveries in planetary science and astrophysics. A large majority of these experiments will be unclassified.

NIF's third mission is energy independence. NIF is scheduled to begin ignition experiments in 2010 that will focus its lasers on a very tiny target filled with isotopes of hydrogen in an effort to further the goal of fusion energy. To achieve the dream, first there must be ignition. The heat and pressures created by NIF's lasers will force the hydrogen nuclei to collide and produce a controlled fusion reaction, or ignition, similar to that found in the sun. Lab Director George Miller stated, "The Laboratory has a long history of solving some of the nation's greatest scientific challenges. From national security and continuing terrorist threats to breakthroughs in advanced medical technologies, this laboratory has consistently made dramatic scientific contributions that directly benefit the American people. Very shortly we will engage in what many believe to be this nation's greatest challenge thus far, one that confronts not only the nation but all of mankind -- energy independence. I have no doubt that as in the past, this laboratory will again rise to the occasion and put forth a solution that exceeds expectations,"

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein and local Congressional Reps. Ellen Tauscher (Livermore), Jerry McNerney (Pleasanton), Zoe Lofgren (San Jose) and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger were among the special guests at the ceremony. They were joined by UC President Mark Yudof, LLNS Board of Governors Chairman Norm Pattiz, DOE Undersecretary of Science Steve Koonin and NNSA Administrator Tom D’Agostino.

Inside the Lab, the completion of NIF was celebrated with accolades and hope for the future. Outside the Lab gates, Tri-Valley CAREs representatives questioned the value of NIF. Marylia Kelley, executive director of Tri-Valley CAREs said there are weapons applications, plutonium use, technical problems and other key facts that the Lab is not talking about. There are a myriad of still-unresolved technical problem that make NIF "ignition" dubious at best.

Several speakers at the dedication ceremonies commented that it was fitting that NIF is located in California. The laser was invented in the state. John Nuckolls conducted fusion work that laid the groundwork for NIF.

Ed Moses, who heads the NIF program, said, "The day is a celebration of the fantastic community of communities that understood what grand challenges were and were willing to take them on to make great things happen. We are taking on one of the grand challenges in trying to bring the sun to earth, so we can use it. I think we can."

He said 3000 separate entities worked on NIF, ranging from large corporations to small businesses with special expertise. Forty nine of the 50 states are represented. "It has taken an incredibly unique collection and collaboration of talent not found anywhere else on earth." He stated, "I have unbridled belief that we will be able to do everything we promised."

Representing UC at the ceremony was UC President Mark Yudolf. He saw NIF as providing greater opportunities for students, staff and post-docs to participate in non-classified experiments. They will be able to take part in many of the first experiments.

Tom D'Agostino, head of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which oversees the Lab, called it, "A great day for science and national security. I anticipate many new discoveries and opportunities."

D'Agostino added, "We are on the cusp of ignition. Something that has the potential to change the world."

Steve Koonin, under secretary for science at the Department of Energy, said, "NIF would boldly expand technical limits of science while providing energy and nuclear security. Researchers will be able to understand the properties of matter under extreme conditions that they have not been able to do in the laboratory. It will be the centerpiece of new research efforts in high energy density science."

Koonin continued, "The present energy situation makes the possibilities of NIF more tantalizing. Addressing ignition is a crucial milestone. It is not guaranteed. However, the design of NIF is a cause for optimism."

McNerney said the real heroes of the day were the scientists, engineers, technicians and administrators who have worked tirelessly to achieve the dream. He called it an effort on the scope of what sent Apollo missions to the moon. He added there is both high risk and high reward with the potential to change how we produce and use energy. "I hope it will inspire a new generation of students to strive to conduct research that will benefit all of mankind."

Lofgren noted it had been a 12 year journey from the groundbreaking to the dedication of NIF. She and others have had to rescue funding year after year. She pointed out that just building NIF has provided new technologies in the field of optics and glass making. "It reminds me of the space program. NIF is exciting a new generation. NIF will spin off discoveries no one has thought of."

Lofgren continued, "I know fusion exist. The question is whether we can produce it here on earth. Ignition will be a game changer. It will help to solve economic, energy and climate problems. When we achieve ignition, all that's left will be the engineering."

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger stated, “This laser system is an incredible success not just for California, but for our country and our world. NIF has the potential to revolutionize our energy system " teaching us a new way to harness the energy of the sun to power our cars and homes. California was the home of the first working laser, so it is no surprise that the Golden State has now produced the world’s largest and most powerful one.”

California’s economy will continue to benefit from the investments in NIF, he added. The laser system supports 1,000 high-tech science and technology jobs in California and products from more than 800 California vendors have been purchased to build it. By next year, NIF will have spent more than $2 billion in the state, putting money into our economy when we need it most.

Tauscher, who has represented the 10th Congressional District during the construction of NIF, is leaving to become under secretary of state for missile defense. "I tell people I represent the smartest people in the world. It's no small coincidence that you've elected me seven times," she quipped.

"At one point this project almost didn't happen. We made adjustments and made it happen. It will be a tool unlike anything the world has even seen. It will take consistent funding. I am proud to have stood with you and for you."

Feinstein stated, "Just as Silicon Valley is part of the great genius of California, the laboratories are part of the great genius of UC. The state's strength rests in this kind of innovation. There is the ability to take a mission 12 years in the making and transfer it into something that could be record breaking and help with the problem of global warming. The possibility that fusion-fission can be used to create carbon free energy is a unique, unique concept. That is our dream. That is our quest. I really think the state is facing a 'holy cow' game changer. There is the potential to change the world as we know it today. We are foolish if we don't take advantage of your talent to get there. I hope it really works." All 192 beams have been fired successfully at the same time.

Jeff Atherton, program director for target experiment systems, said how quickly research proceeds would be dictated by funding. "If it is funded aggressively, I expect within ten years, we could build a prototype power plant," Atherton said.

Tri-Valley CAREs

Nuke info release has Livermore ties

TVC Administrator — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:56:19 -0400

Wednesday, June 3, 2009
By:Laura Anthony
Published In: ABC 7
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/east_bay&id=6846344

LIVERMORE, CA (KGO) -- The government is on damage control after putting sensitive information about U.S. nuclear facilities online. It is an embarrassing mistake that released critical details about hundreds of nuclear sites, including a major facility in the Bay Area.

It says right at the top of each page the document is highly confidential and sensitive. However, the government printing office mistakenly posted all 266 pages on the World Wide Web.

The U.S. Department of Energy created this document for the International Atomic Energy Agency, which monitors civilian nuclear activity in the U.S. and around the world, including the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Marylia Kelley is the executive director of Tri-Valley Cares, a Livermore watchdog group.

"What's unusual is to have it publicly available all in one list," says Kelley. "There is no information in here that is classified, and because it's all unclassified, it is publicly available at other sources."

Still, Energy Secretary Steven Chu called the accidental posting embarrassing and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) wants an investigation.

Jim Bono with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has issued a written statement: "While we would have preferred the document not be released, the Departments of Energy, Defense, and Commerce and the NRC all thoroughly reviewed it to ensure that no information of direct national security significance would be compromised. There was no classified information included in the document. The release of this information poses no additional security risk to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and does not affect our day to day security operations."

There is plenty in the report about the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, but perhaps the most sensitive information is about a facility more than 2,400 miles from here.

That's the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. The document contains not only details, but a diagram of "Tube Vault 16," showing exactly where highly enriched uranium is stored.

"What's missing from this document are the buildings where the majority of Livermore Labs' nuclear materials are stored," says Kelley.

Materials like deadly plutonium and uranium. The reason the document is meant to include only civilian nuclear sites, is because what goes on in these buildings involves military weapons.

Kelley argues, if the International Atomic Energy Agency really wants to closely monitor all nuclear activity this document should be much thicker.

Tri-Valley CAREs

US government ignites controversy over NIF laser fusion

TVC Administrator — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:19:30 -0400

Monday, June 1, 2009
By: Danny Bradbury
Published In: BusinessGreen
http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2243243/doe-ignites-storm-controversy

The US Department of Energy (DoE) has announced the completion of the world's largest laser, which some experts believe could pave the way towards zero-carbon commercial laser fusion plants capable of generating more energy than they use.

However, the development has angered some anti-nuclear activist groups, which have warned the machine could also be used for simulating nuclear weapons explosions.

The National Ignition Facility (NIF), where the experiments are being undertaken, is housed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, one of the three nuclear weapons labs in the US.

It plans to use 192 lasers to heat a small fuel pellet at the heart of an ignition chamber. The pellet will then hopefully undergo a fusion process, generating vast amounts more energy than were required to fire the lasers. It is hoped that experiments " intended to start next year and continue until 2040 " could further fusion energy research that advocates believe could one day result in a near limitless supply of clean energy.

Nevertheless, NIF has been beset by construction problems since work on it first began in 1994 and it has come in over budget and past its deadline.

It has also been the subject of a lawsuit by the Natural Resources Defense Council, which sued in 2000 for failing to be transparent in its consultation process for NIF funding.

Moreover, Tri-Valley CARES, a Livermore-based anti-nuclear activist group, has criticised the project for being primarily focused on nuclear weapons research, and has complained about the inclusion of weapons-grade plutonium as a test material used in the device.

"The DoE has also decided to produce both the fusion and plutonium targets in Livermore, reneging on a separate promise to the community that the deuterium-tritium (radioactive hydrogen) fuel would be loaded at a more remote location due to the emissions," warned Marylia Kelley, TRI-Valley CARES executive director.

Richard Garwin, a renowned nuclear physicist who worked on the original hydrogen bomb under Enrico Fermi, has called the NIF a " white elephant" which was handed to the labs as a bargaining chip by the Clinton administration in return for the cessation of underground nuclear testing in 1992.

Tri-Valley CAREs

World’s Largest Laser to Attempt Nuclear Fusion

TVC Administrator — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:16:48 -0400

Monday, June 1, 2009
By: Ariel Schwartz
Published In: Inhabitat
http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/06/01/worlds-largest-laser-to-attempt-nuclear-fusion/

Laser enthusiasts everywhere, rejoice. California’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory just unveiled its $3.5 billion National Ignition Facility, a 10 story building as wide as three football fields that contains the world’s largest laser. When it goes online the facility will focus 192 laser beams on a 2 millimeter ball of frozen hydrogen gas in an attempt to create nuclear fusion - the holy grail of clean energy. If the machine does succeed, it stands to monumentally alter our energy landscape " one cubic kilometer of sea water has the fusion energy equivalent of the entire planet’s oil reserves!

If the test run of the machine succeeds, it will be the first in the world to produce more energy than it consumes. Once struck with the laser, the ball of hydrogen will theoretically heat up to 100,000,000C and fuse to form helium, releasing 2 million joules of energy.

But don’t get too excited just yet - while the machine is expected to work up to full power in the next 12 months, experiments will be continue to be conducted until 2040, and there are still technical details to work out. The facility’s central laser is only able to fire a few times a day, and the hydrogen fuel pellet has to be replaced between each shot. And then, of course, there are the NIMBY-ers. A group called Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment speculate that the machine is designed to help build nuclear weapons and could potentially contaminate the surrounding community with radioactive activity.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has stated: “We have invented the world’s largest laser system. We can create the stars right here on earth And I can see already my friends in Hollywood being very upset that their stuff that they show on the big screen is obsolete. We have the real stuff right here.”

Tri-Valley CAREs

Ignition facility finally a reality

TVC Administrator — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:11:47 -0400

Saturday, May 30, 2009
By: Suzanne Bohan
Published In: Contra Costa Times
http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/localnews/ci_12480167

LIVERMORE " The director of Lawrence Livermore Laboratory struggled with tears for a moment as he thanked the legions of lab employees who helped build the National Ignition Facility, the 10-story tall building behind him.

"I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart," said George Miller, a nuclear-weapons designer who assumed leadership of the lab in 2006.

Miller addressed more than 3,000 invited guests and lab employees who had gathered for Friday's dedication ceremony for the facility, known as the NIF. The event took place 12 years to the day after the groundbreaking for what is now the largest laser facility in the world.

The NIF is designed to achieve fusion ignition, a holy grail of physics that has been elusive thus far despite 60 years of worldwide efforts, and billions spent trying.

The project, six years late and four times the original estimated cost, has been dogged by enormous challenges, from technical problems, to resistance or apathy in Congress, to skepticism in parts of the science community about whether fusion ignition can be achieved.

Many times throughout the years, NIF's future was uncertain.

The dedication also drew protesters. Members of Tri-Valley CAREs, a watchdog group that monitors lab activity, demonstrated outside the northwest corner of the lab. Banners hung on a fence expressed opposition to the facility, which the group asserts will be used for weapons design work, upping the ante in the arms race.

The group displayed documents that it says back its case, but the lab insists NIF won't be used for that purpose.

Still, the day belonged to the legions of NIF enthusiasts. Eleven speakers, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, shared their enthusiasm for the project, and their optimism that the facility would achieve fusion ignition.

Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, described his earlier work in the wind energy field and the colossal failures he witnessed. Then he pointed in the direction of wind farms in the nearby hills of Altamont Pass.

"We persisted and made incremental improvements, and now wind energy is overlooking the distant and advanced cousin we see today," he said, referring to the massive green and yellow NIF building behind him.

Like wind energy, McNerney was alluding that the fusion energy quest has endured one failure after another to achieve "ignition," in which more energy is released by a fusion reaction than is used to create it. In an ignition state, the reacting hydrogen is at least as hot as the sun. In addition to potentially providing a virtually limitless source of energy, creating such miniature suns on earth opens the door to studying the fundamental nature of the universe, as well as nuclear material, hence NIF's application in testing the safety and reliability of the nuclear weapons stockpile without underground testing.

Every year during NIF's development, funding was in jeopardy, said three lawmakers who spoke at the event " Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Alamo; Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose; and Feinstein.

Technical problems, skepticism over funding a long-shot success of fusion work, and competition for dollars from projects in every other state meant the annual request for funding to keep the project going was often in question, Tauscher said.

Thomas D'Agostino, administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees the lab's operations, provided assurances that annual funding for the NIF's research work would continue.

"I plan to fully support this facility from an operational standpoint," D'Agostino said.

The crowd sat under the midday sun in chairs spread out over a large lawn ringed by conifers. Many donned hats and kept cool using cardboard fans provided by the lab, though a cooling breeze occasionally provided relief.

Lab officials opened the NIF to tours throughout the day, with technicians and scientists available to answer questions. A control room with seven consoles and five monitors serves as the "brain" of the facility, and was designed similar to NASA's control room in Houston.

"I'm very, very excited," said Jeff Atherton, project director for target experimental systems, speaking of the fusion experiments that will start this summer. "We've been working a long time to get to this point."

The eyes of NIF operations manager Bruno Vanwonterghem also lit up when describing the experiments that lie ahead.

"NIF is really the place where 50 years of fusion development and 50 years of laser development come together," he said.

Tri-Valley CAREs